Pages

July 14, 2015

Author Alexander Chee on What's Wrong with ePublishing

From THE TOAST

-Nicole Chung

(Chee won a Whiting Award for Edinburgh,and is a recipient of the NEA fellowship in fiction and residencies from the MacDowell Colony, Ledig House, and Civitella Ranieri. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, Tin House, Slate,and on NPR. The Toast asked Alexander to talk with us about writing, teaching, changes in publishing, his recent “Future Queer” cover story for The New Republic, and his forthcoming second novel, The Queen of the Night, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Feb. 2016.)

Chung: Can you share some of your views on the current state of publishing, and also how Amazon might be changing the game?

CHEE: Well, we know publishing profits have improved while writer pay has declined. So that is terrible. I’m greatly encouraged by some recent developments in publishing in terms of what is getting published and reviewed.

What worries me most is that we are still in a weird place where, 20 years in, we’re being told we still don’t know how the Internet affects book sales or readership, and so writers can’t be paid as much for writing written online — even as every major media outlet is now online and increasingly abandons print editions. Yet so far, you still get paid more for print even though it is often read less — and you get paid less for digital, and yet everyone reads that. That has to change. Because it’s a scam.

It’s time to admit the Internet is here.

I was going through old files and found pay stubs from digital writing I did in 1999 that are roughly what is still getting paid for something that you also have to fact check yourself and in some cases copyedit — but that is also given a title you don’t choose. And because of content grabs in contracts, it may not even belong to you.

And so I don’t have any comment about Amazon except to say that over time I am less and less interested on any seasonal focus on Amazon’s most recent moves, whatever they are — like many American companies they are a mix of good and bad, what I agree and disagree with — and I’m more and more interested in the larger context for this, the Internet and America, income inequality and the destruction of the creative class. We’re in this horrible world where everyone wants everything for free now or almost free because to pay for it reminds them of how little they are paid and that reminds them of their powerlessness in the face of that. Or at least how powerless they feel. And there’s so much blocked anger there.

Historically, despots kill the artists, writers, journalists and professors when they seize power, as what they teach is critical thinking, and what comes with that is the ability to resist tyrannies of various kinds. What America is doing, purposefully or not, is historically distinct: delegitimizing the work of that class, and acting as if an education is the tyranny, all while insisting writers and professors make work on starvation wages, while also paying exorbitant fees for everything from healthcare to housing to taxes even on what grants remain. In order for an artist to have any respect they have to have amazing sales — or be dead after a life of poverty. So I’d prefer a bigger conversation about all of that instead.

All of which is to say, Amazon isn’t changing publishing — everyone involved in publishing is, from the writers to the editors to the readers. If we want to improve publishing we have to talk about the whole thing related to how writers are valued and compensated, and what we want our literature to contain.

Payments

Make Payment

Testimonials

"I have known Kaitlin Hanger for 20 years and have worked with her on some of the most exciting projects of my creative career. Kaitlin Hanger is an excellent communicator, and I have enjoyed an intellectual connection with her that is very rare in this business. She is a great collaborator and an entrepreneurial visionary with persuasive diplomatic skills. Kaitlin is a very good listener, visually fluent, flexible, patient, observant, thorough and is not afraid to take risks. She has a sixth sense when it comes to character judgments, script analysis and finding deeper metaphors hidden in others' work. Her aesthetics are exquisite. She is a true artist in the sense that she stretches her voice and transcends the media completely, from written word to painting, from moving image to design.”

"Truly, Kaitlin is one of the most creative, technically savvy, intelligent, skilled, and tremendously fun people I've ever met. I have learned most of what I know about communications from her, and I have benefited from her mentoring and collegiality for many years. For business communications, Kaitlin takes a very serious, focused approach to her work -- clearly defining objectives -- and then sets aside the "business" side of things to allow her artistic side to flow and create. Once she's come up with several amazing ideas, she puts the business hat back on to identify those that best fit the objectives. She does this fairly complicated process seamlessly and naturally--better than anyone I've ever worked with."

~Tina Creguer (University of Michigan Health System)

Kaitlin is the consummate pro. Easy to work with and very creative. When given a task, Kaitlin offers a variety of solutions and engages everyone on the team to implement the final decision. An excellent communicator and leader, Kaitlin sets the pace and provides an example to which to aspire. She cultivates talent and is a go-to person when others have no answer. She is a resource that consistently performs above expectations. In an exceedingly expectant world, she is an "A" player.."

"Kaitlin is great person to have as part of your creative team because she brings a rare combination of insight, creative ability and technical production know-how. Kaitlin can make a big impact using both words and imagery and she's always up-to-date with fresh approaches that work. In two words: Hire Kaitlin!"

"I have known Dr. Hanger in both a professional and personal capacity for many years, having collaborated with her on several...projects throughout the years. Her intelligence and insight in creative pursuits never cease to inspire me. She is a contributing author to an anthology of which I am co-editor. She frequently provides feedback to me in my research interests, providing a clarity of thought that always helps me see the direction I need to take. Her focus as a thinker is un-muddied by temptation to take the shortest route to success, demanding excellence in every endeavor. She always finds the time to encourage new ways of seeing and thinking."

"You had a HUGE impact on my life. I ended up going to grad school and getting a masters in Television, Radio, and Film, and now I work for Nielsen Media Research in New York City (though soon I may be moving onward and upward to MTV Networks!). Some of my fondest memories of school are from your classes..."

"I thought of you recently! I am in the process of writing my autobiography and thus the skills and theories you taught me have surfaced often. I don't think you realize how very much you inspired me and my writing abilities...I felt like I walked away with more than I can describe."

~Jessica Grupposo, Account Executive (Philips Corp.)

Creator's Statement

How we communicate refines our nature as life participants wherever we share and express our physical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs and coordinate social and cultural activity. It is the job of the content provider to adapt, respond, reflect, and accept responsibility regarding the infinite connections between symbol (whether word or image) and human reality and to understand and influence the patterns of thought that help people successfully negotiate their worlds.

To do this, I believe organizations must:

• Learn how to think and to see anew, create meaningful solutions, and work adaptively in creative communities.

• Learn the value of self-knowledge and intuition—quantum leaps in understanding CAN be made.

• Appreciate the many sub-cultures that ingest and produce the diverse messages you communicate.

• Be flexible, be innovative. We can't prepare for a future that will move faster and more strangely as technology progresses without our own center of equilibrium.

In absorbing a message, a dynamic cognitive process should take place for the both the speaker and audience.

Marketing is about building a relationship. It is a space wherein answers reveal themselves. You can't be in a hurry. Good messages take time to develop.

What I Believe

If you want to create an intervention in society, you have to leave your ego at the door. Not your voice, not your truth, not your self-worth nor your right to intervene. Just your ego.